A/N: Finally for your viewing pleasure I am proud to announce chapter 5, thanks for all the reviews and favourites they make my day

Chapter 5

2 Days after the elevator scene

Room 212, Halifax General Hospital

Tony lay in his hospital bed itching to get out of there, with his ribs healing and his concussion no longer an issue all he had to worry about was his pneumonia and an impending visit from his former team mates and boss to look forward to. Knowing how the MCRT worked Tony knew that his admission to hospital would be all the excuse Gibbs would need to fly out and question him, something that he was dreading.

Turning to the TV, Tony used the remote and started flicking through the channels trying to find something to occupy his mind while his lungs healed,

"Boring, boring, boring, Desert Heat with Jean-Claude Van Damme hmm seen it, boring, boring, Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone never seen and don't want to, boring and boring." With a frustrated sigh that nothing was on Tony turned off the screen and stared out of the window at the city's skyline.

Lost in his own thoughts Tony didn't hear his room door open until a voice startled him,

"What the hell is wrong with you DiNozzo" turning to look at the door he came into eye contact with the steely blue eyes of Gibbs.

"What do you want Gibbs" replied Tony as he turned back to the window, Gibbs stood there in shock as his former senior agent spoke to him without any jokes or wise-ass remarks,

"I want to know what made you just up and leave without any of us knowing until we found your letters, and did you know that with you leaving I have had an agent who has been falling apart with worry and guilt and a lab tech who is falling apart with worry about both you and this other agent."

Tony turned back to Gibbs after his little speech and just said

"Why do any of you care?"

Gibbs just stood there completely stunned by the question thrown at him, he couldn't believe that the young man in front of him, the young man that had become like a son to him over the years, had asked such a question.

"We care because you are family, that's why. You leaving has had such an impact on the team Vance has put us on cold cases till everything is sorted. Just talk to me will you, tell me what was going through that mind of yours for you to leave like that."

Tony sat there silently as he thought about what Gibbs had just said,

"I left because I felt like I wasn't needed any more, you have McGee the technology genius, Ziva the scary, crazy ninja who could make a navy seal cry and then there was me, all I brought to the team was comic relief, and after 2 years of arguing with Ziva over the silliest things I thought it best to leave so that I didn't damage their chances of promotion in the future." was the explanation from Tony as he continued to stare out of the window not realising that Gibbs had been joined by another two people, Tony continued talking all the while staring out of the window,

"I know Vance doesn't like me because of my 'Frat boy' persona and I'm OK with that, but Ziva, I love her Gibbs but I know that she doesn't like me back, I mean look at the last two years, would you argue with someone like that if you liked them. So I left and have been trying to get away so everyone can get on with their lives in peace." Turning back to Gibbs he finally noticed the two extra people standing there in shock as the revelations on how Tony felt reverberated through their heads.

Several minutes went by as the two parties stared at each in shock, surprisingly it was Ziva who broke the strained silence by beginning to cry as she flung herself at Tony her words of apology getting harder to decipher as she clung to Tony.

Feeling Ziva crying against him and hearing her garbled apologies through her tears, Tony wrapped his arms around her and held her close whispering in her ear that everything would be all right, while Tony was comforting Ziva and fighting back his own tears Gibbs and Vance left the room to talk,

"Well Leon, what are we going to do now" said Gibbs as soon as the door was closed,

"If you can convince him to come back then his letter of resignation will disappear and I will forget about it, but I will also apologise to him for my apparent dislike of him, it was uncalled for and over the years I have realised he is one of the best agents I have. Good Luck Jethro"

Inside the room, Ziva had calmed down enough to explain to Tony why she had been arguing with him so much,

"Tony I can't apologise enough, the reason I've been arguing with you so much was to keep you at legs length so you wouldn't get hurt because I have fallen in love with you and everyone I care about have ended getting hurt or killed and I didn't want that happening to you, I'm so sorry Tony."

"It's arm's length not legs length Zi, I forgive you and I love you and I wish I had told you sooner," whispered Tony as he Ziva in his arms her arms tightened around him as she tried to get closer to him.

Watching Ziva and Tony comfort each other and forgive each other Gibbs turned from the door and strolled down to the Nurses' station and started asking the Nurses on duty some questions,

"Nurse how did DiNozzo end up in here," asked Gibbs as he realised that Tony hadn't said how he had ended up injured,

"What's your relationship with Mr DiNozzo sir?"

"A friend, his boss and someone who views DiNozzo as his own son." replied Gibbs in answer to the nurses' question.

"OK sir let me pull up his records, aha here we are he was involved in a RTA on the outskirts of the city when a drunk driver drove into the back of his car, his broken ribs came from his seatbelt, his concussion from banging his head off the door pillar and his pneumonia was already present but got worse from the cold air after the back windows shattered in his car. He will be able to be released in about three days. Is that everything sir"

"Yes thank you Nurse" replied Gibbs as he made his way back to Tony's room opening the door he was greeted with a sight he hoped he would never see.

A/N: I know it's not very good, it took me 2 days and several rewrites to get this down, hopefully the next chapter will be better R&R and let me know what you think and how I'm doing for my first fanfic.

See you next time